Modified baseball hat

ABSTRACT

A modified baseball hat that includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown that includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel that includes a first opening, a second front panel that includes a second opening, a first side panel that includes a first loop attached to an interior surface of the crown near the first side panel, and a second side panel that includes a second loop attached to an interior surface of the crown near the second side panel, a bill attached to the crown, and a band member extending through the first opening, the second opening, the first loop, and the second loop.

BACKGROUND

The invention is directed to a hat that includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown.

Baseball hats are a trendy fashion statement that many people like to wear. However, baseball hats can interfere with and at times destroy or “mess up” a wearer's hairstyle. Therefore, there is a need for a baseball hat that can be worn in such a way that the stylishness of the baseball hat is retained but the hat does not significantly interfere with a wearer's hairstyle.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the invention features a modified baseball hat that includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown that includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel that includes a first opening, and a second front panel that includes a second opening, a first side panel that includes a first loop attached to an interior surface, and a second side panel that includes a second loop attached to an interior surface of the second side panel, a bill attached to the crown, and a band member extending through the first opening, the second opening, the first loop, and the second loop. In one embodiment, the hat further includes a first elongated opening and a second elongated opening, the first and second elongated openings extending from the exterior surface of the crown to the interior surface of crown. In some embodiments, the band member extends through the first elongated opening and through the second elongated opening.

In other embodiments, the first opening defines a circular shape and the second opening defines a circular shape.

In one embodiment, the band member is a bandana. In other embodiments, the band member is a headband. In some embodiments, the band member includes a first end, a second end, a first fastener attached to the first end, and a second fastener attached to the second end. In one embodiment, the first fastener is configured to receive the second fastener and to maintain the second fastener in a locked relationship with the first fastener.

In other aspects, the modified baseball hat includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown that includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel that includes a first circular opening, and a second front panel that includes a second circular opening, a first side panel that includes a first loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first side panel, and a second side panel that includes a second loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second side panel, and a bill attached to the crown.

In another aspect, the invention features a modified baseball hat that includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown that includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel that includes a first loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first front panel, a first side panel that includes a second loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first side panel, and a second side panel that includes a third loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second side panel, and a bill attached to the crown. In some embodiments, the hat further includes a second front panel and a fourth loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second front panel. In one embodiment, the hat further includes a band member extending through the first loop, the second loop, and the third loop.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the drawings, the following description of the preferred embodiments, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a modified baseball hat that includes a band member in the form of a bandana;

FIG. 2 is a right side elevational view of a modified baseball hat according to another embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2 in which a bandana is positioned in a first configuration in the hat openings;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2 in which a bandana is positioned in a second configuration in the hat openings;

FIG. 7 is a left side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2 in which the bandana is positioned in a third configuration in the hat openings;

FIG. 8 is a right side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2 in which a band member in the form of a headband is positioned in a first configuration in the hat openings;

FIG. 9 is a left side elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 2 in which a band member in the form of a headband is positioned in a second configuration in the hat openings;

FIG. 10 is a front plan elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a back elevational view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the modified baseball hat of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the loops shown in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. The figures show several illustrative embodiments of a modified baseball hat that includes a semi-hemispherically shaped crown and openings in the crown that can accommodate a band member. The hat is designed to he worn in conjunction with a band member such as a bandana or a head band. The band member passes through openings in the crown of the hat and can be used to secure the hat in place on the head of a wearer (e.g., by tying two ends of the band member).

Turning now to FIG. 1, illustrated therein is one explanatory example of the modified baseball hat 100 that is similar in shape to a traditional baseball hat with the exception that the crown of the traditional baseball hat appears to have been vertically bisected such that the back of the crown is absent. The modified baseball hat 100 includes a semi-hemispherically-shaped crown 20 that is made up of a series of panels 42 a, 42 b, 40 a, and 40 b, that are joined together at seams 34 a and 34 b (piping 38 is sown into seam 34b) and that terminate at one end in a vertex 28 on the crown 20 where a decorative button 90 is positioned, and at another end at a base 22. A bill 12 (also known as a visor) is attached to the base 22 of the crown 20 and extends outwardly from the crown 20. The bill 12 preferably is dimensioned to shade the eyes of the wearer.

The panels 42 a, 42 b, 40 a, and 40 b that make up the crown of the hat 100 include circular vent openings 70 and band member-receiving openings 80, 30 that extend through the panels of the crown from the interior surface 24 of the crown 20 to the exterior surface 26 of the crown. The openings 80, 30 are larger in both area and perimeter than the vent openings 70 and are dimensioned to receive and accommodate a portion of the band member 50.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50, which is in the form of a folded bandana, extend from the interior of the hat through circular openings 30 in the front panels 40 a and 40 b of the crown 20 to the exterior of the hat. A portion of the longitudinal extent of the band member forms a loop 54 in the rearward open area of the hat 100. The ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 can be pulled forward and away from the front panels 40 a, 40 b of the crown 20 of the hat 100 so as to tighten the loop 54 in the back of the hat 100. In this way, a wearer can place the crown of the hat on his or her head and adjust the tightness of the fit of the hat by pulling on both ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50. When the desired tightness is achieved, the wearer can tie the ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 to secure the hat 100 in place on the wearer's head. Another explanatory example of the modified baseball hat 100 in which the piping and the band member have been removed is illustrated in FIGS. 2-4.

The band member can be in any form suitable for use in conjunction with the crown to maintain the hat in position on the wearer's head. The band member optionally is removable and replaceable. A removable band member can be removed from the hat without damaging the aesthetic appeal of the band member or the construction of the hat. The band member can be continuous (e.g., a closed loop) or discontinuous, elastic or inelastic, and combinations thereof. Suitable forms of band members include, e.g., a bandana, a scarf, a headband (e.g., an elastic headband), a tie, a rope, yarn, an elastic band, a strap, a ribbon, and combinations thereof. Useful band members are made from a variety of materials including, e.g., woven fabric (e.g., cotton, wool, polymer (e.g., polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, and blends thereof)), nonwoven fabric (e.g., microfibers), polymers (e.g., synthetic elastomers, natural rubber, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, and combinations thereof), leather, fibers, rope, yarn, ribbon, and combinations thereof. The band member can exhibit a variety of properties including, e.g., elastic, inelastic, flexible, inflexible, soft to the touch, and combinations thereof. The band member can be in a variety of shapes including, e.g., a square, a rectangle, and a triangle, and optionally is folded to enable the band member to pass through the openings or loops in the hat.

Discontinuous band members optionally include a first end, a second end, a first fastener positioned near the first end and a second fastener positioned near the second end. The first and second fasteners can be connected together to fix the first end in relation to the second end and to lock the first fastener in a fixed relationship with the second fastener. The fasteners can be used tighten the fit of the band member and the hat on the wearer's head. The fasteners can be any suitable fastener including, e.g., adhesive compositions, mechanical mechanisms (e.g., staples, stitches, snap fasteners, male and female connectors (e.g., two and three-pronged connector mechanisms), buttons and button holes, hook and eye, hook and loop, (e.g., hook and loop fasteners and other mechanical fasteners commercially available under the VELCRO series of trade designations), and pop beads and through holes), and combinations thereof.

The hat 100 can be worn with the bill 12 extending away from the forehead of a wearer and the loop 54 of the band 50 being in position on and extending around the back of the head of the wearer. Alternatively, the hat 100 can be worn with the bill 12 extending away from the back of the head of a wearer and the loop 54 of the band 50 being in position on and extending around the forehead of the wearer.

The hat 100 also includes vertically elongated openings 80 (e.g., vertical slits) in the side panels 42 a and 42 b and front panels 40 a and 40 b of the crown 20. The vertical slits 80 are dimensioned to receive the band member 50 and are positioned on the crown 20 in locations such that a wearer can pass the band member 50 through at least one of the openings 80.

The openings 80 and 30 can be in a variety of forms including, e.g., holes, slits, loops, and combinations thereof, can define any of a variety of shapes including, e.g., circular, elliptical, oval, stadium, crescent, tear drop, egg shaped, polygonal (e.g., square, rectangle, triangle, and diamond), and combinations thereof, and can be of a variety of sizes including, e.g., having at least one cross-sectional dimension (e.g., a diameter or an axis) that is at least 0.25 inch, at least 0.5 in, at least 0.75 inch, or even at least 1 inch. The openings 80, 30 optionally are reinforced with a reinforcing mechanism including, e.g., stitching (e.g., thread), a mechanical component such as a grommet, and combinations thereof. The reinforcing mechanism optionally extends around the edges that define the opening and optionally functions to further define the opening.

Although the openings 80, 30 have been described as openings extending through the panels of the crown from the interior surface 24 of the crown to the exterior surface 26 of the crown 20, in other embodiments, the openings are in a variety of forms including, e.g., loops attached to a surface (e.g., the interior or exterior surface) of the crown, loops extending from a panel of the crown, and combinations thereof. The loops can be affixed to the crown using any suitable mechanism including, e.g., adhesive compositions, mechanical connectors (e.g., staples, stitches, snap fasteners, male and female connectors (e.g., two and three-pronged connector mechanisms), buttons and button holes, hook and eye, hook and loop (e.g., Velcro), and pop beads and through holes), and combinations thereof.

The relationship between the location of the opening 80 and the nature and position of the band member 50 can function together to help maintain and secure the hat in position on the wearer's head. The band member can be positioned within the openings in a variety of configurations. The choice as to which openings to use is at the discretion and preference of the wearer. In one configuration, the ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 extend from the exterior surface 26 of the crown 20 through the circular openings 30 in the front panels 40 a, 40 b to the interior surface 24 of the crown 20 and are available for tying in an area in back of the hat, an illustrative example of which is shown in FIG. 5.

In another configuration, the band member 50 passes through vertical slits 80 on the side panels 42 a, 42 b of the hat from the exterior surface 26 of the crown 20 to the interior of the hat 100, as shown in FIG. 6. The ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 exit from the interior of the hat to the exterior of the hat through the circular openings 30 in the front panels 40 a, 40 b of the crown 20 of the hat 100. The wearer can then tie the ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 in the front of the hat to secure the hat on his or her head.

In another configuration, the band member 50 passes through a first set of vertical slits 80 on the side panels 42 a, 42 b of the hat 100 from the exterior of the hat to the interior of the hat and then through a second set of vertical slits 80 located on the front panels 40 a, 40 b of the crown 20 of the hat 100, as shown in FIG. 7. The ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 extend from the interior of the hat to the exterior of the hat through the vertical slits 80 in the front panels 40 a, 40 b of the hat and are available for tying.

In another embodiment, the band member 56 is in the form of a continuous loop (e.g., an elastic headband) that passes through a first set of vertical slits 80 on the side panels 42 a, 42 b of the hat 100 from the exterior surface 26 of the crown 20 of the hat 100 to the interior of the hat 100 and then through a second set of vertical slits 80 located on the front panels 40 a, 40 b of the crown 20 of the hat, as shown in FIG. 8. The headband 56 forms a continuous loop and can be used to maintain the hat on the head of the wearer through the elastic nature of the headband.

In another embodiment, the modified baseball hat 200 includes a crown 220, a bill 212, vertical slits 280, circular openings 230, side panels 242 a, 242 b, and front panels 240 a, 242 b joined together at seams 234 that are covered on the interior surface of the hat 200 with seam tape 236, as shown in FIGS. 9-13. Modified baseball hat 200 includes a band member 256 in the form of a headband that includes a first end 258, a second end 259, a first fastener 260 positioned at the first end 258 of the headband 256, and a second fastener 262 positioned at the second end 259 of the headband 256. The first and second fasteners 260, 262 are adjustable to enable the wearer to adjust the tightness of the headband 256 around the wearer's head. The headband 256 passes through the loop openings 286 in a first set of loops 288 a affixed to the interior surface 224 a of a first side panel 242 a of the crown 220, a second loop 288 d affixed to the interior surface 224 d of a first front panel 240 a of the crown 220, a third loop 288 c affixed to the interior surface 224 c of a second front panel 240 b, and a fourth set of loops 288 b affixed to the interior surface 224 b of a second side panel 242 b.

The loops 288 a-d can be of a variety of configurations including, e.g., continuous loops, discontinuous loops, single loops, sets of at least two loops, and combinations thereof In one embodiment, at least two of the loops 288 (e.g., loops 288 a and 288 b) include a second opening 290 extending through the wall 292 that defines the first loop opening 286 through which the head band 256 shown in FIG. 12 passes. The loop 288 and second loop opening 290 optionally are positioned on the crown 220 such that the second loop opening 290 aligns with an opening 280 in a panel (e.g., a side panel 242 or a front panel 240) of the crown 220. In such an embodiment, the ends 52 a, 52 b of a band member 50 (e.g., a bandana) can extend through loop opening(s) 290 and panel opening(s) 280 in a variety of configurations including, e.g., from the exterior of the crown to the interior of the crown by passing through panel opening 280 and then through loop opening 290, from the interior of the crown to the exterior of the crown by passing through loop opening 290 and then through panel opening 280, and combinations thereof. The wearer can fasten (e.g., tie) the ends 52 a, 52 b of the band member 50 together in the area near the back of the hat, the area near the front of the hat, or both to fasten the hat on his or her head.

In other embodiments, the loops 288 are positioned on the crown such that they do not alter the openings 280 on the panel and the ends 52 a, 52 b of a band member can pass through the openings 280 without interference from the loops 288.

In another embodiment, at least one of the loops are repeatedly movable from a first opened position to a second closed position such that when the loop 288 is in an open position, a portion of a band member (e.g., a continuous loop head band) can be placed in the opening and then the loop 288 can be moved to a closed position so as to fix the headband within the opening of the loop 288.

The loops 288 can be affixed to the interior surface 224 of the crown 220 using any suitable attachment mechanism 270 including, e.g., adhesive compositions, mechanical mechanisms, and combinations thereof. Suitable mechanical mechanisms include, e.g., staples, stitches, snap fasteners, male and female connectors, buttons and button holes, hook and eye, hook and loop, (e.g., hook and loop fasteners and other mechanical fasteners commercially available under the VELCRO series of trade designations), popbead and through hole, and combinations thereof.

Although the hat has been shown as including circular openings and elongated slits, in other embodiments the hat is free of the circular openings, elongated slits, or a combination thereof.

Although the embodiment of the hat shown in FIGS. 9-13 has been shown as including four band member receiving loops 288, in other embodiments the hat includes three band member receiving loops 288 in which the first and second loops 288 a and 288 b are located on the interior surface of the crown 220 near the side panels and the third loop is located on the interior surface of the crown 220 near the font panels (e.g., near or on the seam 34 between a first front panel 240 a and a second front panel 240b).

Although the hat has been described as including multiple panels, in other embodiments, the crown is a single panel or the crown includes a single front panel and two side panels. The panels of the crown can made from a variety of materials including, e.g., woven fabric (e.g., cotton, wool, polymer (e.g., polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, and blends thereof)), nonwoven fabric (e.g., microfibers), polymers (e.g., synthetic elastomers, natural rubber, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, hard plastic such as the plastic of a batting helmet, and combinations thereof), leather, fibers, rope, yarn, ribbon, and combinations thereof. The seams at the union of two panels can made be made of thicker folds of fabric, may vary in width, and optionally include piping. The seams may be reinforced with any stiffening material known in the art including, e.g., plastic, metal, wire, nonwovens, paper, fabric, and combinations thereof. The stiffening material can include a single or multiple layers of a single material or a combination of stiffening materials.

The hat optionally includes an interior hat band (e.g., a sweat band, sizing or both a sweat band and sizing) attached to the interior of the hat (e.g., the bill, the crown, a seam joining the crown and the bill, or a combination thereof) such that the hat band contacts the forehead of a wearer when the hat is worn. The loops 288 a-288 d, where present, can be attached to the crown through the interior hat band.

Other embodiments are within the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A modified baseball hat comprising: a semi-hemispherically shaped crown comprising an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel comprising a first opening, and a second front panel comprising a second opening, a first side panel comprising a first loop attached to an interior surface of the first side panel, and a second side panel comprising a second loop attached to an interior surface of the second side panel; a bill attached to the crown; and a band member extending through the first opening, the second opening, the first loop, and the second loop.
 2. The modified baseball hat of claim 1 further comprising a first elongated opening and a second elongated opening, the first and second elongated openings extending from the exterior surface of the crown to the interior surface of crown.
 3. The modified baseball hat of claim 2, wherein the band member extends through the first elongated opening and through the second elongated opening.
 4. The modified baseball hat of claim 1, wherein the first opening defines a circular shape and the second opening defines a circular shape.
 5. The modified baseball hat of claim 1, wherein the band member is a bandana.
 6. The modified baseball hat of claim 1, wherein the band member is a headband.
 7. The modified baseball hat of claim 1, wherein the band member comprises a first end, a second end, a first fastener attached to the first end, and a second fastener attached to the second end.
 8. A modified baseball hat comprising: a semi-hemispherically shaped crown comprising an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel comprising a first circular opening, and a second front panel comprising a second circular opening, a first side panel comprising a first loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first side panel, and a second side panel comprising a second loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second side panel; and a bill attached to the crown.
 9. A modified baseball hat comprising: a semi-hemispherically shaped crown comprising an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first front panel comprising a first loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first front panel, a first side panel comprising a second loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the first side panel, and a second side panel comprising a third loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second side panel; and a bill attached to the crown.
 10. The modified baseball hat of claim 9 further comprising a second front panel and a fourth loop attached to the interior surface of the crown near the second front panel.
 11. The modified baseball hat of claim 9 further comprising a band member extending through the first loop, the second loop, and the third loop. 